"Take Back Our Highways" again credited for declining fatalities

By John Shryock| November 29, 2010 at 6:18 PM CST - Updated June 22 at 3:40 PM

MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) - The Alabama Department of Public Safety finished its fourth annual "Take Back Our Highways" traffic safety campaign Sunday at midnight with another year of declines in fatalities.

The campaign starts each year at the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday, and officials say it's designed to promote highway traffic safety, reduce crashes and save lives. Each year every available state trooper is taken off administrative duties and assigned to a patrol car.

During the 2010 campaign Troopers investigated 412 traffic crashes involving 185 injuries. There were also six fatalities. Troopers said none of the six victims who were fatally injured was wearing a seat belt. Five of those victims, and five involved alcohol.

The fatalities happened in these counties: Choctaw (two on 11/26/10), Greene (one on 11/26/10), Lee (one on 11/26/10), Shelby (one on 11/26/10), and Mobile (one on 11/24/10).